The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-05-16
A TERRIBLE HAIL STORM.
Great Damage Done by Washington's
UnWelcoma Visitor.
From the Washington (Ga.) Chronicle.

From the Washington Ca Chronicle.
On Wednesday afternoon, between and
5 o'clock, Washington was visited by the
severest hail storm ever seen here. While
many of US have seen larger hail stones, we
are yet to find the man who has seen
severer storm or one lasting as long. The
wind and rain, accompanied by the hail,
played havoc with trees, fences, crops and
house tops. The direction of the storm was
from northwest to southeast during the
severest period. Later the wind
changed to northeast. The damage
in town was small compared
to that in the country. In Dublin the dam
age was greater than anywhere else in town,
so much so that one of her merchants said
that the devil was certainly after that part
of the town. The wind struck the store of
Irwin, Callan & Co. on the northwest side
and tore the tin from the roof for a space
covering 65 by 40 feet In other words,
$500 square feet of tin was rolled up like
carpet ready for shipment. The water
poured in and covered the floor.
Irwin, Callan & Co. Immediately put their
large force to work and removed their
goods to another portion of the store.
But few OF, their goods were damaged,
and those only slightly 1t is said that one
Of the clerks was so badly frightened that
he tried to jump out Of the window An
other was heard to exclaim: "My God, Jim,
it has got us now; where shall we goT The
parapet wall over Mr. Marsh Moores store
was blown down, together with several
rooms on that side of Gen. Heards ware
house. In one of the rooms was an old
crippled negro, but he managed to get to a
place of safety before any of the younger
ones who were sound and well.
The chimneys of Mrs. John Stephens, Mr..
B. F. Jordan and others were blown down
One of the chimneys to Mr.. 7. G. Hogue's
residence blew down, fallingson the house
and breaking the roof. The water came in
and badly damaged some handsome carpets
and furniture.
Mr.. c. E. Irwin lost half dozen or more
OF those elegant shade trees in front of his
residence, and his cotton crop was badly in
jured. In many places there were nothing
but the bare stalks remaining, where few
hours before had been fine and almost par
feet stand of cotton
We took a buggy and drove over the
country in which the storm was said to
have been worse. The sight was one to be
remembered. In places every veStige Of
vegetation was wanting. Corn was riddled,
and it was hard to tell where the cotton
rows were. The greatest sufferers as far as
heard from were Messrs. C. E. Irwin, A. J.
Newsome, John Drinkard, E. Y Hill, r. L.
Foreman and j. j. Grafton. Mr.. Hill and
Mr.. Newsome seemed to have been in
the centre disturbance. On these
places half of the wheat and oats were ON
the ground and the other half looked like
some one had hit right under the head with
stick. In this neighborhood the water and
hail together was knee deep in the public
road. In drifted places hail was banked up
for five or six feet. Mr.. Mansfield, who
works for Mr. Hill, says the hail was six
inches deep on level ground, and that the
water carried off logs which afterward took
six good men to lift
Mr.. Foreman's beautiful little farm suf-
fered greatly. His terraces were broken,
and great gullieS washed through the fields.
His magnificent field of corn is thing of
the past.
Mr.. Grafton had just finished chopping
100 acres of cotton, all of which is badly in
jured. MeSsrs. Newsome, Hill and others
will have to plant their entire cotton crop
over. The corn, while beaten and broken
off, will in all probability come out again.
AT Mr.. A. j. Newsome's the lightning tore
off the mantelpiece, and broke a clock all
to pieces which was upon it. No other
damage was done. Not a brick on the
chimney was disturbed, the plastering be-
hind the clock was not even cracked. There
is no evidence going to show where the
lightning came from. Fortunately, the
family had just left the room
and were out on the porch look
ing at the storm. The losses are
variously estimated, some farmers
estimating theirs as heavy as $4,000. At
this time it is hard to say what would be a
fair estimate of all the losses The track of
the storm seems to be about as follows: 1t
started near Mr.. Oscar Bookers, on the
Lexington road, passed through the back of
N. c. Pope's place, thence through the
places of Messrs. Newsome, Hill, Grafton.
Alexander, and struck the Augusta road
about Mr.. Jack Dyson's place.